Half angel
by fairyoflove
Summary: This is a story about a girl taken from centuries ago. Forced to endure the deaths of her loved ones over and over again, she finally faces the chance to end it all or fight til she dies, both giving up the chance to be with her one true love. Which will
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Daniel, what do you suppose we do with her?" said a lady dressed in white.

"Hmm…." said the man next to her. He had his hand over the body. " 'Tis strange."

"What is?"

"This soul…I sense..anger..yet it's intentions are pure," Daniel replied. "Kaitlyn, this person, whoever she is, has a powerful aura, one that I've never come across before."

"Take her then. She might be of use to us. We do need one of us to keep watch on the earth," Kaitlyn replied.

She walked over to the body and took a vial out from within her dress. She then proceeded to close her eyes and placed her hands above the body. When she muttered a string of Celtic words, a bright light emitted from the body and vanished into the vial. Soon after, she and that man, Daniel, turned and walked away, disappearing into thin air.

Brianna could no longer feel the earth beneath her feet. She felt as if she was floating among the clouds. What had happened to her? She strained her mind to recall the events that came before. All she could remember was Cole dragging her out of the house and into the woods, where they ran and ran until. Until they stopped in mid tracks. Brianna remembered peering out from behind him. What she saw she'll never forget.

The next day, in a village not too far away from where the two mystical beings had appeared, a newborn's cry was heard, echoing throughout the woods, as if to announce its arrival to the heavens. This village was named, Immortal Valley. And this babe was to be named, Danielle.

Fifteen years later……… 

Mama! I'm home!" Danielle shouted as she entered the house. She was in a joyous mood today. "Mama!"

"I hear you, child. I've yet to be hard of hearing," Cynthia answered as she emerged from the kitchen.

"Look what I got for you, Mama," Danielle said as she sat next to her mother at the dining table. "Flowers from the border of the woods. Aren't they just the prettiest things you've ever seen?"

"The border of the woods again, Dani? My dear girl, how many times have I told you not to venture there? It is not safe for a girl of your time to be there. What if something happens to you? What then?" Cynthia berated Danielle. She was worried for her child.

But, no matter how much she worried for her, she knew deep down in her heart that nothing would happen to Danielle. Very simply because, nothing ever does. Never in the fifteen years of Danielle's life had she returned with a scratch on her. Nor has she ever fallen sick. There was this time where Danielle and her playmate rolled down the hill when they were just seven, and Danielle came out of that tumble totally unhurt while her poor mate Sarah suffered from shock and some mild scratches on her arms and face. There was another incident when Danielle fell off a horse. She broke her arm, but she didn't seem to be in much pain for a nine year old. Miraculously, her arm healed within a week!

But what was the strangest about Danielle was that she seemed to be able to heal herself and others. When she visited her friend, Sarah, after that tumble down the hill, she laid her hand on Sarah's arms and the next thing they knew, they scratches faded away. Of course, no one took heed of this except Cynthia. They merely thought Sarah had the ability to heal fast.

"Mama? What are you thinking of?" Danielle asked, waving her hands in front of her mother.

"About how you could have met with something horrible back there at the border of the woods," Cynthia lied. "But thank you anyway. These flowers are indeed the prettiest things I've ever seen."

"You needn't worry about me, Mama. Cole came with me," Danielle answered.

"He did?" Cynthia asked as she went back into the kitchen to retrieve a vase to put the flowers in. "Didn't he say he had to stand in for Michael at the store today?"

"He did. I waited until he was excused before going," Danielle replied. "I saw it was summer, and knew the flowers at the border of the woods were in bloom and at their prettiest, just like the year before and I wanted to get it for you, Mama."

"Oh, come here you," Cynthia crooned, touched by what Danielle did for her. "I do love you so much."

" I love you too, Mama," Danielle replied, savouring the hug.

Just then, Cole and Ian walked into the house, smiling at the sight of both of them.

"What? No love for us?" Ian jokingly asked as he walked towards the both of them while Cole merely leaned against the doorframe and gazed at Danielle. He had helped Ian carry the stacks of wood home, hoping to get a glimpse of Danielle.

Danielle and Cynthia looked up and smiled warmly at him. "Of course there is, silly. Come here," Danielle said, extending her arms to him.

Ian smiled and walked into the embrace of the two women he loved dearly and hugged them both tightly. Cynthia, not forgetting Cole's presence in the home, stepped back from the embrace and smiled at him. Cole, noticing that Cynthia was looking at him, returned her gaze with a nod as he greeted her, 'Ma'am."

"Good day to you too, Cole," Cynthia said with a smile. She knew Cole liked Danielle and the feeling was mutual. Cole wasn't too bad a choice for Danielle too, though he wasn't rich or had any land, but he was a good man who loved Danielle and would protect her with his life.

Feeling extremely awkward in the room, Cole mistaken Cynthia's look and thought he had outstayed his welcome. He stood up straight and set about bidding them goodbye, even though he would like to stay and spend more time with Danielle.

"It's getting late and I'd better get home and leave you folks to your dinner now," Cole said. He nodded a goodbye to Ian and Danielle before he turned and started walking out.

"Why don't you stay on for dinner Cole?" Cynthia asked, hurriedly walking to Cole and grabbed hold of his elbow and pulled him in towards the house.

"I'll be intruding-"

"Don't be silly now," Cynthia chided. "You've helped our Ian carry those stacks of wood back, the least we could do is to invite you to stay for dinner. Besides, you're like family to us."

Cole looked at Ian, catching the silent message that he was sending him through a nod. "Alright, ma'am. I'll stay for dinner," Cole relented, smiling at Cynthia, placing her arm in the crook of his arm instead and guided her towards the living room. "Thank you for inviting me to stay.

Danielle watched Cole and her mother walked hand in hand towards the living room, chatting happily. A smile touched her lips. Oh, how she loved Cole. She'd met him when she was five. Cole had been friends with Ian ever since they were born and she would play with them both. They had grown up with each other, with Cole and Ian watching her grow up into a young lady and she watching them, particularly Cole, grow up to be magnificent men. And before she knew it, she was in love with Cole. Danielle sighed, wondering if her mama would accept Cole if he were to offer for her.

Ian, silently watching his sister gaze at Cole and his mother chatting gaily in the living room. He smiled. He knew his baby sister was in love with Cole. He also knew that his best friend shared the same sentiments about her. Ian knew Danielle was worried that their mother would not accept Cole as her future husband for he had nothing to offer her except his love. But knowing his mother, she would not despise Cole just because he was poor. Ian walked up to Danielle and placed his arm across her shoulder and leaned down next to her, whispering, "If you do not tear your eyes away from them, my little sister, we'll have no dinner tonight and will have to send poor Cole on his way home."

Jumping a little, Danielle turned and scowled at her brother's grinning face. Her face burned, knowing that she had been caught staring by her brother. He let out a chuckle, as her face became redder by the minute. Danielle playfully stomped on his feet, causing Ian to yelp in pain. Satisfied, Danielle gave her brother a winning look and walked on into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Life was peaceful and as usual. Danielle would stay in on the odd days for her lessons while on the even days, she would go to the bakery shop that Sarah owns to help out. As her twentieth birthday drew closer, Danielle was unaware that Ian, her mother, Sarah and some of the villagers were preparing a big birthday bash for her on the night of her birthday. They had the banners, the cake, the music, everything! But unknown to Danielle, and the villagers, was a bigger surprise waiting for Danielle, on the eve of her birthday.

"Ian! Ian!" Danielle knocked on the window of the shoe shop. She stood back when she saw Ian walking towards her.

"Dani? What's the matter?" Ian asked.

"Are you about done yet?" Danielle asked.

"Not for another two hours. Why?" Ian replied.

"That would already be sundown by then," Danielle muttered. "I want to go get Mama some more of the flowers that I got her the other day. The ones at home are already withering."

"Why don't you go tomorrow? You know mama wouldn't like you going alone to that place," Ian suggested.

"Well, if you're not going to tell on me, Mama wouldn't know," Danielle argued. "Besides, I promise to be back here within an hour. Then we'll return together and Mama would never know."

"Hmm…"

"Oh please, Ian," Danielle begged.

"Oh alright. No more than an hour. Deal?" Ian asked.

"Deal!" Danielle replied happily. She gave Ian a kiss on the cheek before running to the border of the woods, unwilling to waste any time.

Cole came up behind Ian just as he saw Danielle running off into the woods. "Where is Danielle going?" he asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

"To the borders of the woods," Ian answered. "She promised to be back within an hour."

Ian went back into the shop, leaving Cole standing at the doorway, staring at the woods where he had seen Danielle going into. The more he stood and looked, the more he frowned. He had woke up with an unsettling feeling that something bad was going to happen. With that feeling hovering around him, he wasn't comfortable leaving Danielle to go into the woods alone. He looked at the clock. There was another hour before he finished work. Reluctantly, Cole trudged back into the shop, promising that he would look for her in the woods if she didn't return within the hour, silently hoping time would pass by faster.

Once at the border of the woods, Danielle immediately started picking the flowers for her Mama. When she almost had a bouquet in her hands, she turned, ready to leave. Just then, she heard something rustle in the woods. She turned around to see if there was anyone there. There was none. Then, she heard someone in distress. Curious, she cautiously walked into the woods. Even though her heart was pounding away, Danielle clutched the flowers tightly to her chest and followed the voice. Suddenly, she saw a squirrel pinned to the ground by an arrow.

"Oh you poor thing," Danielle crooned, bending down next to the squirrel. She placed the flowers beside the poor animal and tried to remove the arrow. Frightened, the squirrel tried to claw Danielle.

"Hush, little one. I'm here to help you and not harm you, " Danielle whispered.

Miraculously, the squirrel calmed down. Shocked, Danielle did not know what to make of it. Instead, she looked around the forest floor for some nuts to distract the squirrel from what she's about to do. Finally, she found one. She threw the nut gently at the squirrel, and when she saw that the squirrel caught it and was busy nibbling at it, she immediately went to work on the arrow. With all her might, she gently, yet quickly pulled the arrow out.

'All right. Arrow out. That's one thing accomplished. But what about the wound? I haven't anything to cover it up.' Danielle thought.

'_Use your hands.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'_Use your hands.'_

Danielle froze. She looked around her. She couldn't see anyone. Yet, she was very clear that she heard a voice. 'Maybe you're mistaken.' Danielle told herself.

'You're not mistaken Danielle. Use your hands. Place them above the wound and think about making it heal.'

That voice again! Danielle looked around her frantically. There was no one in sight, nor anyone near enough for her to hear them speak. She looked at her hands. Use my hands? What could her hands do? However spooked she was, Danielle obeyed. With shaking hands, she placed them above the wound. She closed her eyes and thought of nothing except healing the squirrel and that voice. Then, she could feel heat on her palms. She opened her eyes. To her amazement, there was a glow of light coming from her palms! When the light dimmed down, she looked down at the squirrel's tail. The wound was gone! The squirrel, finding itself freed and healed, scurried off into the woods with the half opened nut in its paws.

Danielle stood up and brushed the leaves off her dress. She turned around, trying to find a face to the voice. But yet there was none. Finding her courage, Danielle spoke.

"Who are you? Where are you?"

"I'm here, Danielle."

Danielle whirled around to find a lady dressed in white and a man next to her. They weren't there before. Where had they come from? She didn't even hear them approach.

"Who are you?" Danielle repeated. She was careful to keep a safe distance away from the two even though they didn't look threatening to her.

"My name is Kaitlyn," the lady spoke. "And this is Daniel."

"You're not from here, are you?" Danielle asked, noticing the thick accent in their voices.

"No, indeed we're not," the one named Kaitlyn said.

"Kaitlyn, we do not have much time. We need to return before sundown," Daniel said.

"Danielle, I would have preferred to break this to you in some other way but time is really pressing, so I suppose this will have to do," Kaitlyn said.

Break what to me?" Danielle asked curiously.

"Danielle, you're an angel," Kaitlyn said gently.

"A what?" Danielle echoed, not daring to believe what she'd heard. Afterall, angels were only part of fantasy.

"Well, actually only a half angel," Daniel amended. He didn't understand why Kaitlyn had to break this 'slowly' to this charge of theirs. He only understood that orders were to be fulfilled, and time was running out.

"Half angel?" Danielle voiced, getting more and more confused by the minute.

"You were chosen among many. You had a powerful and determined aura around you, one that a half angel possesses," Daniel hurriedly explained. "For 20 years you were left in oblivion, because we felt that you were not ready to accept your task. But now you are."

"Sir!" Danielle exclaimed, holding her hands up in front of him. "Just let me digest what you're saying."

"Now you're saying, that I'm a half angel, that you've picked among many. What does that mean for my life? Will I die?"

"No," Kaitlyn answered instead. "Like angels, half angels are immortals too."

"That means I have to watch my loved ones pass me by?" Danielle asked.

"Yes," Daniel answered, walking towards her. "It is part of your duty. Now kneel down in front of me, girl. The time has come."

"What time?" Danielle questioned, slowly backing away as Daniel approached her, his hands outstretched towards her.

Out of nowhere, Kaitlyn appeared behind her and forced her to her knees in front of Daniel. Danielle could do nothing but watch on as Daniel placed his palm faced down on her head, his eyes closed as he went into a chant that she couldn't understand. Fearfully, she spoke.

"What are you doing to me?"

"We're giving you your powers, and your memory of your past life back so that you may recover your aura," Kaitlyn answered, holding Danielle down firmly.

" My—"

Danielle was unable to finish what she had wanted to say, for the pain that passed through her as the blinding white light enveloped the three of them was so excruciating that Danielle felt like her head was being split open. Flashes of a girl in medieval dressing, with flame red hair, running in the woods. Memories of the pain and sorrow that the red head girl had felt came crashing onto Danielle, now holding her head in her arms, hoping to cushion the pain but to no avail. The noise and screams were getting louder by the second, and when Danielle thought she was going to die, the light dimmed, the world around her fell silent.

Danielle looked up, panting, tears streaking down her cheeks. The two strangers were gone. Weak and overwhelmed, Danielle laid on the ground, looking aimlessly at the sky while the recollection of memories continued to roll in her mind, playing it out. Suddenly, she was back there, where she first died. She was hiding behind Cole, him defending her as best as he could. Then suddenly, she was all by herself while Cole lay on the ground, blood gushing out from his chest. He turned towards her, as she crawled on fours towards him screaming his name. Through her tear filled eyes, she read the message in Cole's eyes, telling her to run. Then his eyes closed and his body went limp. She turned to look at her assailant, fear and pain giving way to the anger that surfaced. She stood up, and ran towards her assailant, ramming her shoulders into his stomach. Her attack merely caused her assailant to take a step back. He swung his arm towards her, and she flew back, landing on her back, staring at the sky. She watched him walk towards her, his axe hovering above her, his lips turning up into a sick smile at the knowledge that he would hear her scream when the blade came down. Unwilling to give in, Danielle defiantly turned her chin up towards him just as the blade swung down towards her in slow motion. She bit her lips, stifling the scream that threatened to escape, closed her eyes and made a prayer.

Danielle let out a gasp and sat up in her bed. Panting slightly, she looked around her dark room, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Soon, she came to the realization that she had been dreaming about her past. Again. Sighing, she ran a hand through her ruffled hair, wet with perspiration. Disgusted at how she was feeling now, Danielle got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, shedding her perspiration soaked clothes and got in the shower. She let the water remain at full blast, hitting her flat on the face, desperately trying to wash away the memories, the pain that she still felt after all these years..


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Aidan walked hurriedly along the corridors of Melrose High to his class. The bell had rung five minutes ago, just as he had alighted from his mum's car. If he didn't make it to class before Mrs. Newman did, that would mean detention for e rest of the term. And he didn't want to spend his afternoons with Mrs. Newman and a bunch of other losers. With such motivation spurring him on, Aidan quickened his pace.

He had woken up late again, the fourth time this week. And all because of the same dream he had of this girl with blonde hair, creating a protective field around him and standing in front of him, using her bare hands to block the onslaught of arrows coming at them. She would fail, an arrow would lodge itself in her shoulders and the force field around him would fade away. The girl would fall onto the ground, blood seeping out from her wound as he made his way towards her. Just as he was about to turn her over to see her face, a shrill scream sounded. And he'd always wake up to his alarm and realize he was late. He had never gotten to see that girl's face and he as hell didn't know what that dream meant. But his gut feeling told him that it meant something, and that he knew that girl. But no girl he knew fitted the back view of that girl in his dream.

Deeply in thought, Aidan didn't see the girl walking towards him as he rounded the corner, and crashed into her. Both of them fell to the floor, their books clattered on the cement ground. Aidan snapped out of his daze and looked at the person that he had crashed into. And for a brief moment, something in the back of his mind clicked, as he gaze fixated on the girl on the floor in front of him. He couldn't seem to move, he wanted to get on his feet and help her up, apologise to her. But he couldn't make his limbs move. She looked like a fallen angel, dressed in a white sleeveless sundress that had tiny gold ribbons on the shoulders and a one at the sides of her waist; her hair a golden brown, falling all over her shoulders; and her face: if Aidan didn't know better, he would have thought she was a porcelain doll, with her complexion so fair and translucent. And her eyes so wide and clear, were the colour of the sky. He would have longed to stare at her more, but he realized that she had asked him a question and was now looking at him questioningly.

"What?"

"I asked, if you were all right," the girl repeated.

Aidan blinked several times before getting to his feet and extending his hand towards her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aidan replied as she took his hand and got to her feet. "You?"

"No harm done," she answered, flashing Aidan a smile.

Danielle was just rushing to class when she crashed into this guy. He had been sitting on the ground and staring at her for the longest time. What he didn't know was that she had been staring at him as well. A strange feeling rose within her chest the moment she saw him. Those blond hair, and blue eyes—Danielle had remembered seeing something similar but she couldn't pin down a name to go with that familiarity. What Danielle had felt afterwards, was a sense of overwhelming sadness coupled with a tinge of happiness that was altogether too familiar for her comfort. Danielle couldn't understand what she was feeling, but she felt as if she had known this guy for centuries yet never seen him before in her life.

"_Your life? You wouldn't even have remembered everyone you've met so far in your life." _Danielle mocked herself.

Shaking the strange feeling off, Danielle spoke, asking if he was fine. He only replied moments later, as if he'd realized that he had been staring. Danielle dusted her dress after he'd helped her to her feet, all the while knowing that he's still staring at her. She proceeded to pick her things up.

Aidan couldn't seem to stop staring at this girl. It was as if he was trying to make up for lost time. His attention snapped back into place when he saw her bend down to gather her things. He bent down and started picking up her things for her before picking his things up.

"Here," Aidan said, as he handed her her books. "I'm sorry for crashing into you. I wasn't paying attention."

"Its no big deal. Don't worry about it too much. I wasn't paying that much of attention myself either," Danielle replied, shifting her books from one arm to the other.

Silence filled the air as they stared at each other, each not sure of what to say and both not willing to walk away just yet. They stood there, for what felt like an eternity, staring at one another, not saying a word, as if they were in a trance. Finally, the second bell rang, breaking the silence between them.

"Uh, I guess I better head to class now," Danielle said, moving slowly past him. She gave him one final smile before hurrying off to her class, her hair bouncing behind her.

"Yeah, me too," Aidan replied as he watched her walk off in the other direction. He stood there still, watching her walk away, even though he knew he ought to be moving as well. Finally, when he couldn't see her anymore, he turned and ran to his class, with her face in his mind still.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

For the rest of the day, Aidan couldn't quite concentrate. The girl that he had bumped into lingered in his thoughts. He was late again and had to attend detention later today. Aidan let out a sigh as he allowed his attention to drift away from Mr. Head's droning of Hitler's evils. He got caught for being inattentive a couple of times but his mood wasn't one bit affected. By the end of the day, he had decided that he had to know her name. He walked towards the cafeteria with the intention of engaging Jake's help. He spotted Jake sitting by the far corner and headed towards him.

"Hey man, where's Clarissa?" Aidan asked as he sat down on the chair opposite Jake.

Jake Brown looked up as his childhood playmate sat down in front of him. He was just about to tuck into the lunch that Clarissa had made for him, wondering if he should dig in or leave it for his dog, Maggie, to finish up.

"Cheerleading practice," Jake replied. "So, what's that big grin on your face for?"

"The most weird thing happened to me today," Aidan said. He went on to tell Jake about the dreams that he had been having and about the girl that he had bumped into this morning. Aidan noticed, that the whole time he was talking, Jake had left his lunch untouched, something that was unlike Jake who had a strong liking for food.

"And did you ask her for her name?" Jake asked when Aidan leaned back in his chair, finished with his story, his eyes trained on the entrance of the cafeteria, careful not to miss anyone who walked in.

At the mention of Jake's question, Aidan returned his attention to his friend. "No. I didn't get a chance to ask her before she hurried off." Before Jake could open his mouth again, Aidan hurriedly said, "The bell rung."

"I see," Jake drawled, leaning back in his own chair, folding his arms across his chest. "So, you think this mystery girl you met in the corridors is the one you've been dreaming about."

"Seems like it isn't it," Aidan replied. He leaned forward, the frown he wore replaced by a mischievous grin on his face. "So, tell me something genius, why aren't you touching your food yet? Judging by the you I know, you would have gobbled that up within five minutes."

"Yeah, well, I'm not hungry," Jake lied. "I'm just saving it for later."

"Quit lying to me," Aidan chuckled. "You face says it all. Clarissa made this didn't she?"

Jake sighed. He could never hide anything from Aidan. "Yeah. And you know she is better at cheerleading."

Aidan stifled a chuckle. "Oh c'mon. It can't be that bad."

"Hell yeah," Jake answered with a fire. "The last time I ate something Clarissa made I was sick for two days."

Aidan remembered that incident clearly. Jake and him was supposed to meet at the basketball court near their house and when Jake didn't turn up, Aidan had gone over to his house to see what had happened to him. To his amazement, and amusement, he found Jake in bed, all green from diarrhea and puking. And he had found out the cause of Jake's sickness when he found Clarissa all teary eyed, sitting next to Jake and tending to him.

Because Aidan was deep in thought, he didn't notice the girl in white who stood by the entrance of the cafeteria for a heartbeat before leaving.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five 

Danielle stepped inside the cafeteria, hoping that she would find a table where she could sit alone. However, seeing the crowd inside the cafeteria, Danielle changed her mind and decided to head towards the big oak tree at the back of the school. The spot was not taken, as it was rare that students would pass that area. So far, Danielle had only seen janitors passing through that area. She had also only come to know of that spot when she had checked out the building on her first night in Clover town.

She was late for class this morning as expected. But Mr Fredman did not punish her. Instead, he was overly concerned as to why she was late. Danielle was not unused to such attention that her male teachers seemed to lavish on her. She was also used to snide remarks from her classmates ranging from 'teacher's pet' to a rumor that she had slept with every male teacher to get good grades. Centuries of experience had hardened Danielle and she no longer cared about how people think of her. She had just barely escaped the grasps of Mr Mills. When the bell signaled an end to his class, she had hurriedly packed her bag and dashed out of the class before he could even turn around and detain her. Danielle knew Mr Mills was deliberately keeping her in detention with him after school because he had heard about the rumors and wanted a piece of her as well. Danielle rounded a corner and saw the big oak tree in the distance. Eager to clear her mind and soul, Danielle walked hurriedly towards the oak tree.

"But that was two years ago, maybe she improved," Aidan suggested. If he knew Clarissa well, she would be extremely hurt if she ever found out Jake's response to her cooking.

"Unlikely so," Jake said. "Enough about me. So what are you planning to do about this mystery girl of yours?"

Aidan leaned back at the mention of his mystery girl. He turned his attention to the entrance of the cafeteria once more and noticed that the flow of people coming in had lessened. He was suddenly filled with panic that he had missed her. His gaze swept across the cafeteria, hoping to glimpse her brown hair in the midst of the crowd. He returned his attention to Jake when Jake called him.

"I'm going to look for her," Aidan answered when Jake repeated his question. He picked up his bag and got up."

"Are you insane? It would take you years to find this girl in a school so big," Jake exclaimed.

"Not if I look hard enough," Aidan said. "I'll see you later. And good luck with your lunch." Aidan grinned and gave Jake a pat on the back before he left.

Aidan headed out of the cafeteria in search for his mystery girl. But where would he start? He didn't know where or whom she usually hangs out with, he didn't even know her name for starters. Unwilling to give up, Aidan looked around and picked a direction to walk in. His thoughts were filled up questions pertaining to this girl. Where had he seen her before? He was sure it wasn't school, but where would he have seen her then? He was sure that if he had seen her on the streets he would have remembered a face like hers. Aidan came to a junction that he had never seen before. The corridor ahead of him seemed to lead him to the gym area while the corridor seemed to lead to the back of the school. Deciding that she would never have gone down the corridor on his left, he walked on ahead.

"_Left, my boy. Left."_

Aidan stopped in his tracks and turned around. There was no one behind him. He was sure that he had heard a voice telling him to go left. The hair on the back of his neck stood. Where did the voice come? Puzzled, Aidan looked around him once more, making sure that there was indeed no one around him. Had he imagined that voice? And if he had, why did it specifically say 'left? Aidan, his curiosity getting the better of him, took one last look at the corridor ahead of him before he turned and walked down the one on his left.

Behind him, unknown to Aidan, a man in a black cloak was glad that Aidan had done what he had wanted Aidan to do. He leaned against the lockers, watching Aidan walk down the corridor. He started laughing, silently at first, then louder. He wasn't afraid that Aidan might hear him. Aidan would only hear him when he wanted him to. He was already one step closer to his plan and the good news was the angels weren't even aware of his planning.

"Master Lucien, we've found him."

He turned around and faced his minion. James he was called. He was a mortal once. He committed the most heinous crimes and when he died, he was sent to hell. Hell was where Lucien would pick his minions. They were burning in the fires of Hell and would do anything for the man who could get them out. He walked towards James and smiled.

"Come James. Let us find our target," Lucien said as he draped his arm over James shoulder.

James spared a glance at his master. Seeing that a smile was in place of a frown on Lucien's face, James visibly relaxed. His master was in a good mood today and that meant things would be fine for now. He matched his master stride for stride down the hallway, their figures fading as they walked, until they totally vanished and not a trace of their existence was left in that corridor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Seven**

Danielle walked home in a much lighter mood than she had gone to school in. The short soul calming session that she had spent at the back of the school had helped wiped away the ugly remnants of this morning's dream. On her way home, Danielle had stopped by the neighborhood supermarket and bought ingredients to make herself some delicious pasta for dinner later. 'So living for more than a century actually does pay off,' Danielle mused to herself. During the course of her immortal life, besides constantly worrying about anyone finding out about her secret, battling evil and going through hell all over, Danielle actually put it to good use and learnt a few useful skills like cooking. She didn't think that there wasn't any dish in the world that she didn't know how to prepare. She remembered one lifetime where she had been a Duke's daughter and how the servants were appalled when she insisted she cooked her own meals.

Danielle was so absorbed in recalling the times when she had to send the servants on several errands at a time just to whip up a meal for herself, that she did not realize that a man had was calling her as she walked past the house next to hers.

"Hey lady!"

Hearing the word 'lady', Danielle snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards the voice.

"Are you calling me?" Danielle asked, mentally taking in how the man looked like.

"What are you, deaf?" the man retorted.

Frowning, Danielle thought the man's mean reply was uncalled for. Looking at him from head to toe, she concluded that he couldn't have been a very good man, judging from the way he looks, what he wore and especially the way he replied her.

"No. I was merely preoccupied with my thoughts," Danielle answered, curtly. But years of experience had thought her how to behave like a lady, for she was not born in this time of violence but in a time of etiquette and courtesy. "Since you were calling for me, what is it that you wanted?"

"I wanted to ask if you knew if there's anyone home next door," he replied, pointing his finger in the direction of her neighbor, Shirley's house. "I've been ringing the bell, knocking on that god damned door for more than ten minutes and no one answered."

"Well, what business do you have with her?" Danielle asked, frowning at the use of profanity.

He frowned even harder at her. "What are you, a lady from the 18th century? My business with her, is a pizza," he replied, a hint of mockery in his voice. "I'm to deliver this pizza to her and I'm already late with my other deliveries."

Danielle pursed her lips in anger. This man was overwhelmingly rude! She had merely made a slip in the way she had spoke and he was mocking her for it. She looked at him hard, frowning at his rudeness. She wished so much that she reply him saying 'Oh no you're wrong. I'm from all centuries you see. I've lived through all of them.' But instead, she replied by walking towards Shirley's house, not sparing him a glance as she walked past him.

"Shirley! It's Danielle! Are you there?" Danielle said as she knocked on the door. She peered into the side window when there was no response. It was dark in the house, save for a dim light emitting from the living room. It was either Shirley had forgotten to turn the lamp off or she was home and in trouble. Danielle frowned. She had never known Shirley to be forgetful. Aware that the man was staring hard at her, and without doubt frowning as well, Danielle rang the bell once more and pretended to wait for a response while she closed her eyes and focused on sensing Shirley's presence in her house.

"Danielle?"

Danielle whirled around to see Shirley walking towards her. She sighed with relief inwardly as she smiled and went down the steps towards Shirley, once again ignoring the angry man with the pizza.

"Shirley! I thought something happened to you when you didn't answer your door and there was light from your living room," Danielle explained.

"Oh! I must have forgotten to turn it off," Shirley said, shifting the bags of grocery in her arms to a more comfortable position. "Why were you looking for me?"

It was only then Danielle remembered the man. "Oh! I wasn't looking for you. He was," Danielle explained, stepping back to reveal the frowning deliveryman behind her. "You ordered a pizza?"

"Oh yes! Silly me! I forgot all about it!" Shirley explained, her face flushing in embarrassment. She walked up to the man and asked him while she dug her purse for her wallet. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. How much is it?"

"Twenty five dollars," he answered curtly.

When Shirley passed him the money, he dumped the box of pizza unceremoniously into her already full arms and walked away. Seeing that the box of pizza was about to drop from Shirley's arms, Danielle hurriedly walked up to her and relieved her of the box. Danielle watched the man walk away, appalled by his lack of courtesy. And she couldn't believe that Shirley had yelled another apology after him just as he started the engine of his motorbike. And she let her know what she thought. Shirley disagreed; pointing out to Danielle that she was at fault first for having made that 'poor' man wait for her, and had graciously switched the subject when she invited Danielle over to her place for dinner. Danielle had accepted her invitation, promising to bring over pasta that she had intended to have for dinner that night. And so, she helped Shirley bring her groceries into the house and as she returned to hers, her mind was still on that rude deliveryman.

* * *

It was almost seven when he left his workplace. 'Natalie wouldn't be too happy,' he mused. He had returned to Danny's Pizza Parlour an hour late because he was delayed by a few deliveries. He was further held back as the manager took his time to pass him his paycheck. As he sped through the streets, his recounted his day and lingered on a particular incident. Or rather, a particular individual. That girl Danielle, who'd helped him check if her neighbour was at home, had frowned at him in disapproval. She was not too please with his attitude towards her, and as frustrated as he was then, he had taken notice that she was wearing a white dress that seem to cling to her body, revealing all the hidden curves. He had also noticed that she had long brown hair and a pair of blue eyes that seemed to narrow each time he spoke to her. She probably thought him to be the rudest man she'd ever met. Not that he cared what she thought of him, for they weren't even going to meet each other again. And for his 24 years of his life, Noah Westland never cared what others thought of him.

"You're late again, Noah," Natalie said as he walked into the building towards her.

Noah noticed that she had her little arms crossed and was trying hard to frown at him. He stifled a smile. He knelt down on one knee and took her right hand in his.

"Oh mighty princess Natalie," Noah said, pretending to be solemn and serious at the same time. "Would you forgive your knight for his tardiness and grant him the honor of sending you home on his mighty steed?"

Natalie giggled. She didn't quite understand what Noah had said but she knew that her brother was trying to make up for being late. "What is 'tardiness' and 'stweed' Noah?"

Noah looked up at Natalie and a smile touched the corners of his lips. He got up, scooped Natalie in his arms. " 'Tardiness' means being late and 'steed'," Noah explained, careful to stress on the pronunciation of the last word. "means a horse."

"A horse?" Natalie asked, as she curled her arms around Noah's neck and held on as he carried her out. "Like the ones I always see on the books?"

"Yes, Darling dear," Noah answered. "So, my fair princess, where do you wish to eat?"

Natalie giggled. She liked it when Noah called her 'darling dear' and 'princess'. "Hmm," Natalie said, as she placed her finger on her chin, just like always. "Johnny's burger plwace!"

Noah chuckled. He had already known where she wanted to eat because she had always gone there to eat whenever it was her turn to decide where to eat. "Johnny's burger place it is then," Noah echoed.

He placed Natalie on the seat of his bike and went around to retrieve her helmet for her. He had custom made her helmet because the stores didn't sell one that fit her. Theoretically, kids her age weren't allowed to ride on bikes, and Noah knew the danger she's in when she's on his bike, no matter how careful he rides. But he had no choice; he just didn't have enough money to buy a car. Securing his own helmet, Noah got on behind Natalie. He turned his engine on, checked that Natalie had her helmet on properly; he yelled a 'hold on' to her before riding off into the night towards their dinner destination.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Eight

Danielle was having a blast at Shirley's place. As promised, she made some pasta as well a bowl of salad and brought it over to Shirley's place. They talked over dinner, shared the latest gossip around town and told about their lives. Danielle had never known that Shirley was merely 5 years older than she was. 'Well, if one counted in the strictest sense, I'm way older than her," Danielle mused as she listened to Shirley recount her youth to her. She had also found out that she was actually a divorcee. After dinner, Shirley mentioned that she had rented a tape and asked if Danielle wanted to stay and watch as well. Danielle agreed, because she didn't have the heart to turn Shirley down and because its been some time since she'd watched a movie, old or new. Danielle politely offered to wash the dishes while Shirley made the popcorn with her microwave oven.

"Are you seeing anyone Danielle?" Shirley asked suddenly.

"No. Why?" Danielle answered without turning around. She had expected Shirley to ask her this much earlier during dinner and thus wasn't surprised.

"I was just wondering. Its just you didn't mention anything about it and I was just curious," Shirley replied. "I mean, you're so young and beautiful and all, its kind of hard to believe that you have no suitors at all."

"Oh Shirley, you're not that old yourself either," Danielle answered as she dried her hands on a cloth, flattered by Shirley's words. "And you're just as beautiful and you're kind. Besides, we women don't need men to live, do we?"

Shirley let out a laugh as she carried the bowl of popcorn out of the kitchen with Danielle walking alongside her. "Right on!"

After the movie, Danielle had stayed on a while longer to comfort Shirley. Shirley had rented a romance movie that had a similar ending as hers and it triggered rivers of tears from her. When Danielle returned home, it was nearly midnight. She had a great time at Shirley's, even though she thought the movie afterwards was more of a disaster because Shirley was doing more crying than watching and Danielle was doing more comforting than watching. Danielle didn't bother to turn on the lights in the house as she made her way up the stairs towards her bedroom. In her room, she stripped down until she was as bare as the day she was born and stepped into her shower. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, with hot steam trailing behind her. She toweled dry her hair and went to bed in nothing but her skin, snuggling under the covers. And for the first time this week, Danielle slept through the night, blessed with a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Danielle had awoken in a much better mood than yesterday and had gone to school earlier than usual. She had not completely her assignments from yesterday since she spent the night at Shirley's house and decided to finish them in school. The school was rather deserted when she arrived and Danielle was glad to know that she had at least an hour or two before the school would be bustling with people and noise. She was making her way towards the big tree at the back of the school when she decided against it. Since there was hardly anyone in the school at this hour, Danielle decided to head towards the cafeteria instead. It would be empty save for the chefs and perfect for her to complete her assignment whilst she ate her breakfast. As Danielle had predicted, it was empty. She bought herself a sandwich and settled herself in the far corner of the cafeteria and started on her assignment.

Aidan had filled Jake in on his finding yesterday as they walked towards the cafeteria. They had just finished their weekly basketball fix and were on the way to the cafeteria, their hair still wet from the shower that they've just had. Pushing the doors of the cafeteria, Aidan and Jake walked in, unaware of the presence of a girl, sitting right at the far corner of the cafeteria. They approached their regular spot, a table near the front corner of the cafeteria, with Aidan's back facing the other end of the room. Jake looked up, and noticed a girl at the far end of the corner, looking very much like the description of the girl that Aidan had described to him.

"Hey, Aidan," Jake said, motioning to Aidan to get his attention. "The girl over at the other end, is that her?"

At the mention of that mysterious girl that he had just told Jake about, he turned around swiftly, his heart pounding away at the sight before him. He was looking at his mysterious girl. She was sitting all alone at the corner end of the room, her head bent over some papers, apparently completing her assignments. His lips formed into a smile as he answered Jake, without turning towards him.

"Yeah. That's her."

He heard Jake move to stand beside him, his gaze focused on her as well. "She's a looker, man." When Aidan merely smiled, Jake nudged him.

"Go talk to her."

"About what? I don't even know her," Aidan replied. As much as he wanted to get to know her, he didn't know where to start or if she would reject his friendship. The last thing he wanted was to push her away from him even further.

"That's the point. Get to know her then," Jake explained, clearly exasperated with Aidan. "Look, this is a perfect chance. There's no one here besides us. It's quiet and you can take your time to introduce yourself and get to know her better without any interruption."

Aidan returned his attention to her as he contemplated Jake's suggestion. He did want to get to know her, and this was a perfect time and probably the only time where he'll get to introduce himself without any interruption. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

"I don't know, man. What if she takes it the wrong way? What if she thinks I'm some kind of stalker?"

Jake rolled his eyes. For all his life he's never known Aidan to behave this way. Aidan had courted girls with a nonchalant attitude and was never afraid of being turned down. He pushed Aidan towards the counter and said, "Buy her a drink and say it's an apology from you for that day. Then start to introduce yourself and then just go with the flow and follow from there."

Aidan did just as Jake suggested. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He didn't usually behave like a wimp, afraid of being turned down. But around her, he was extra nervous and unsure. He took the drink and approached her. Mentally, he braced himself for the sweet sound of her voice as he stood just at her table, watching as she lifted her head up and looked at him. Smiling, he said 'Hi'.

Danielle looked up from her assignments when she noticed someone standing at her table. She saw familiar blue eyes looking down at her, those familiar lips curving up into a smile. An odd feeling settled at the pit of her stomach just as she remembered where she had seen him before. It was the guy whom she had bumped into at the corridor the other day.

"Hi," Danielle replied with a smile. She saw a wave of uneasiness wash past his face as he spoke.

"Do you remember me?" he asked unsurely. "We bumped into each other that day."

"I remember," Danielle replied.

"Good," he said with relief. He placed the drink he had in his hand onto the table and pushed it towards her. "I wanted to apologize for my carelessness that day but I couldn't seem to find you anywhere in school and I saw you sitting here alone when I came in so I thought I'd buy you a drink as an apology."

He looked at her, as if waiting for her absorb his apology or to give some sort of response. But Danielle remained silent, looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm Aidan by the way, Aidan Portman," he said, his hand outstretched towards her.

"Danielle," she replied. "And thank you for the drink. It wasn't necessary."

"Danielle," Aidan repeated, enjoying the feel of her name on his tongue. "No last name to go with such a pretty name?"

"Would you like to sit down?" Danielle asked, changing the subject, gesturing to a chair beside her.

Aidan, partly shocked and partly elated, pulled out the chair beside her and sat facing her. He was so happy that he could almost shout out in joy. He hadn't planned on staying, at least he didn't think she would want him to stay and chat with her. But she had invited him to stay on. That had to be good news.

"So, I presume that that guy over there, who pretends to be so engrossed in his plate of food every time I catch him looking over here, would be your friend?" Danielle asked, directing the conversation in another direction lest he remembered his question about her last name.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Nine **

Aidan turned around. True enough, Jake was pretending to be interested in his food when he saw Aidan look his way. Aidan grinned when Jake winked at him and showed him a thumbs-up. "Yep, that's Jake," Aidan replied, turning around to face her again, his grin still evident on his face.

Danielle had watched the both of them while Aidan turned around to look at his friend. She saw Jake give Aidan a wink and a thumbs-up, no doubt trying to encourage him. She couldn't help but stifle a laugh, which she quickly hid when Aidan turned back around and tell her about Jake. She listened with interest as he recounted his relationship with Jake right from the day they were born to the present. Inwardly, Danielle wished that she had a friend just like Jake. _'You did. Only she died centuries ago,' _her mind answered her unspoken wish. That's right. She used to have a childhood friend, Sarah.

"So, tell me more about you," Aidan asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Despite her deep thinking, Danielle had heard his question. A hint of a smile lifted the sides of her lips up into a curve. "Are you trying to pick me up?"

Taken aback by her straightforwardness, Aidan let his shock show, only to see Danielle bursting into fits of laughter.

Danielle had initially intended for her question to waylay his thoughts about her personal life, but his response from her question amused her so much that she burst out in laughter. She couldn't control it any longer. She had initially expected him to deny his intentions, but instead, he was shocked to hear her ask him of his intentions. Gathering the last of her wits, Danielle tried her best to stop laughing and look up at him. He had a grin on his face, gazing down gently at her, not one bit insulted or offended by her laughter.

"I'm sorry," Danielle stated. "I didn't mean to laugh at you, it was just that your expression on your face was…"

"Comical," Aidan finished for her, his grin still in place. As soon as he recovered from his shock, he heard bells ringing in the air and realized that it was Danielle's laughter.

"Yes, that was the word I was looking for," Danielle admitted wryly. "Now about my question…"

* * *

Noah had dropped Natalie off at her nursery place in the morning before he sped off for work. He by passed Danny's Pizza Parlour and waved at the boys. He wasn't working as a delivery boy today. He was going to be a stand in teacher for the day and if they were happy with his performance today, they might offer to keep him for the week. He had come across this job opportunity when a teacher from the school ordered pizza and he had overheard her saying that they were looking for stand ins. He had went up to her and asked if he could be considered as a candidate. He gave them his qualifications and his contact number and before he knew it, he got the job. Determined to keep the job for at least the week, Noah had taken extra care to dress up today. He rummaged through his wardrobe, along with the help of Natalie, and put on his best outfit. Parking his bike at the parking lot of the school, Noah got down and killed the engine. Taking off his helmet, he noticed people were still streaming in. Feeling oddly misplaced, Noah walked towards the entrance of the school, well aware that he was being stared at, as the voices around him dropped to whispers.

Danielle went to class earlier than usual in a good mood. She had had an enjoyable time chatting with Aidan, or rather, she had a wonderful time coercing him to tell her of his intentions. He had, to her surprise, owned up that he indeed found her intriguing and wanted to get to know her better. She had laughed at his honesty then again, for she never expected him to be honest with her. She had encountered many times when a guy would lie just so to impress her, but of course, she wasn't impressed. In fact, she had put them down within seconds of their lie.

Her classmates started to stroll into the class, ignoring her presence. She was used to that kind of treatment. Afterall, she didn't strive to be popular or to be accepted, her mission was to protect mankind, although she didn't know why she had to save people who don't give a damn about her existence. Shrugging, Danielle continued to work on completing her assignment. She hadn't been able to complete it as she spent the time in the cafeteria talking to Aidan. While she was working on her work, she overheard one of the girls in the school talking about this new guy, who according to their standards, were the most handsome looking male they've ever been across. 'Well,' Danielle thought. 'With the kind of experience you've had, you could well be trusted on your judgment of 'handsome men'.' Smiling to herself, Danielle concentrated on her work, tuning the rest of the class out.

Minutes later, the bell rang, but Danielle was so immersed with her work that she was oblivious to it. Suddenly, the class fell silent, a circumstance that was unusual for her class. Aware that of the awkward silence, Danielle looked up, and for once in her life, words failed her. Standing in the front of the class behind the teachers' table, was the pizza delivery guy. Behind her, she heard one of the girls whispered 'That's him!'. _He_ was the new guy? He didn't look like a student to her, in fact, Danielle thought he was dressed more like a teacher. Which didn't really make sense. He was a pizza delivery boy, and an extremely rude one at that. He couldn't be a teacher. It just didn't make sense.

Noah had reported to the office in the morning and told that there was a change of plans. They needed his help for the rest of the week as one of the teachers had a terrible accident and would be required to be hospitalized and well rested for at least a week. Now instead of replacing one teacher, Noah had to take on the responsibility of two subjects. Glad that he didn't have to worry about impressing the teachers so they'll keep them, Noah walked to his first class with a light heart. The moment he stepped into the classroom, silence fell. He could hear the sound of his boots colliding with the concrete floor as he made his way towards the teacher's table. He placed the duty roaster down on the table, slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants and surveyed the class. Then, he spotted a familiar face. That girl from his pizza delivery. 'What was her name?' Noah tried to put a name to her face but he just couldn't. He could see that she had remembered him from that day as well, and Noah was sure that she had a bad impression on him, for she had the most incredulous look on her face and she was gaping at him. In order to hide that smile that spread across his face, Noah bent down and took the register in his hands, circled the table and sat on the edge of it, with his right leg dangling off the floor.

"I'm Noah Westland," Noah started, looking around the class, vaguely aware that half the female population in the class were trying to flirt with their eyes. "I'm here to replace Mr. Fredman."

"Permanently?" one of the girls asked, as she leaned forward such that her breasts were almost sitting on the table.

Amused that they were trying to seduce him, Noah gently replied. "No. Just for the week. So I'll be taking you guys for his class, as well as Mrs. Glory's class. She's had an accident yesterday and wouldn't be able to attend school for the week."

He paused for a moment, surveying the class once more as he waited for any questions or objections, the latter, he expected from that girl who still hasn't stopped gaping at him. This time, Noah couldn't control himself. He allowed his gaze to stop at her and smiled. Her mouth widened into a gasp that he couldn't hear, but she was obviously outraged that he smiled at her. Careful not to linger at her long enough for the rest of the class to notice, he started to open the register, ticking the names as he recited them out, taking their attendance. Then he saw the name. _Danielle._ Somehow, the name seemed familiar.

"Danielle," he recited, looking up to see whom the name belonged to. It had felt good to say the name, as if he had been saying the name for centuries now. He looked around the class, waiting for a 'yes' or a hand to shoot up in the air. But there was none. Undaunted, he repeated the name again. There was no response again.

"She's not here?" Noah asked the class, slightly disappointed that he didn't manage to see whom the name belonged to.

"She is," the girl named Nicole answered.

"Then why doesn't she acknowledge her name when I recited it," Noah asked calmly, watching the expressions on their faces.

"She craves attention, that's why," Nicole answered once more. "She always likes to be the apple of the teacher's eye and the center of attention."

"No I do not!" Danielle spurted out indignantly. She turned towards Nicole and gave her a glare. She had been trying to avoid answering to her name because she didn't want that man to know her name, if he already hasn't. But since he didn't expose her, he must not have remembered her name.

"So, you're Danielle," Noah drawled out, bringing her attention to him. He watched as she snapped her head around to stare at him, blue fires trying to burn holes through him. "Why didn't you answer when I called?"

Danielle continued staring at him, still refusing to answer his question. What was she supposed to say? Because I didn't want you to know my name? That would only lead to another question, why. She watched him tick her name before closing the register. He looked at her meaningfully before he got up and went to the board and write an essay question.

"This is your assignment for this lesson. You are to complete this and hand it in to me when the bell rings," Noah said, relaying Mr. Fredman's instructions out to them. Then he turned to Danielle. "Danielle, I would like to speak to you outside of the class. Now." He made sure that his voice did not leave her any space for arguments, as he looked at her and quirked his eyebrow towards the door.

Danielle tried to ignore him as she took out a piece of paper and pretended to be engrossed in copying the question down on paper. But everytime she looked up, she saw him look at her, waiting for her to comply. He didn't reiterate his question again, but merely stood at the table, watching her, waiting for her to obey. Apparently, so was the entire class. They all looked at her, waiting for her to get up and comply. Sighing, Danielle finally gave in. She got up and walked out.

Noah made sure that the class bowed their heads over their paper and returned to their work before he walked out of the class. He saw her waiting outside, with her arms crossed, staring at him with blue fire in her eyes. He stopped, standing just a few feet away from her and crossed his arms, staring at her. She looked like a warrior, with her eyes blazing with fury, her luscious lips tightly pursed, her arms crossed protectively in front of her chest, her hair tied at the nape of her neck. She might just very well kill me if I were to hand her a weapon this instant, Noah mused, waiting for her to speak.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Ten**

Danielle was furious. Not only had he been rude to Shirley, now he was trying to embarrass her. Not that she cared very much about what the rest of the class thought of her, nor was she embarrassed about the fact that she had to be called out to class for a private word, which undoubtly, her classmates would think of as a private scolding. Now that they were both outside the class, standing opposite with their arms crossed, she was bracing herself for a harsh scolding from him. Instead, he had merely stood there staring at her, as if he was mentally assessing her. It felt to Danielle like an eternity that they had stood outside the classroom, staring at each other, but in reality, it had only been less than five minutes. Unable to bear the silence and his stare, she broke the silence.

"So? I'm out here now," Danielle spoke curtly. "What is it that you want to tell me privately?"

"Why is it that you and the class don't seem to be on friendly terms?" Noah asked, shoving his hands into his pockets instead. He could see that she was doubly irritated that she had to be the one to break the silence and he would have smiled if not for the fear of angering her further.

Danielle couldn't believe what she just heard, and she let her face show her shock. "You asked me out of the classroom just to ask me why I'm the outcast of the class?"

"Well, that wasn't my original intention but I observed that you seemed to be having trouble fitting in with your class," Noah explained, amused at the shock displayed on her face, how it had made her eyes sparkle and her cheeks flush. "I was going to ask you why you didn't answer to your name after you gave me your answer to my first question."

"I don't need a saviour," Danielle informed him, her hands on her hips now. "And I don't need to fit in. All I need is the teachers to stay out of my way and out of my business. Perhaps that would solve my problem."

"And as for your second question, I'm afraid you won't be getting any answer from me."

"Okay," Noah had replied, when she would have expected him to demand an answer from her.

"Okay? That's it? You're not going to insist on an answer from me?" Danielle asked, looking at him incredulously.

"You've already given me your answer," Noah answered calmly.

Danielle looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. She had just flatly refused to answer him and he just accepted it without any resistance. She ran her gaze down his length, her look incredulous, while he merely stood there, watching her like he did minutes before. Unable to bear his presence anymore, she shot him one last look before walking back to class, leaving him standing there alone. While she was angry with him for his attempt to embarrass her, she was even angrier with herself. She had stolen a glance at him as she passed him, and found herself admiring him. He was dressed in casual jeans that seem to mould to the shape of his legs, and had donned a white shirt that had a few top buttons left open for it to be considered appropriate attire for a stand in teacher. She had noticed that he had bluish gray eyes and a head full of dark brown hair, and lips that were so full that it didn't seem to belong to him. Disgusted at herself for admiring his appearance, Danielle attributed her admiration to his change in appearance and attitude. The last time she'd seen him, he was clad in a green shirt that seemed to tight for him and faded jeans with his hair tousled by the helmet that he'd been wearing. By the time Danielle sat down at her seat, she had convinced herself that deep down, he was still that rude delivery man.

* * *

Danielle was so relieved when she heard the bell that signaled the end of school ring. She hurriedly packed her bag and walked out of class, her mind clear on her destination. After her encounter with that man today, she desperately needed to calm emotions down. She didn't know why, or how, Noah Westland managed to affect her the way he had. She had painfully endured two lessons today, each an hour long with that ill-mannered fiend that didn't seem to be ill mannered or a fiend. But nonetheless, Danielle had concluded and convinced herself, that he was merely pretending for he couldn't afford to show his true self if he hoped to keep his temporary job. As soon as she reached her destination, Danielle hurriedly threw her bag down at the tree and slipped her feet out of her shoes. Stepping out of the shadow of the oak tree, Danielle raised her face towards the sky, her arms open wide at her sides with her palms facing skywards, and began to rid herself of any negative emotions, tuning everything else out besides the sound of the wind and the feel of it against her face.

Within minutes, a smile spread across Danielle's face. Danielle lowered her head and opened her cafeteria. He ran towards the back of the school where the big oak tree was, where Danielle was, afraid that she might have already left school by the time he arrived. Fortunately for him, as he rounded the corner, he could hear laughter coming from that place. He quickened his steps and boldly ran towards the sound. Hky was clear and unusually blue. The sun was shining brightly but yet the air was kept cool by a slight breeze in the air. Danielle remembered a day like this centuries ago, when she was merely a young woman. She would run up the hill to the vast area of green land, kick off her shoes and start spinning around. A wry smile touched her lips, as she lifted her arms once more and started twirling around on the spot, her mind going back to the time when everything was in the right place, when she was in the right place.

Aidan had rushed to the cafeteria with Jake after the bell went, hoping to see her sitting in the cafeteria amidst the crowd. He entered the cafeteria and surveyed the crowd, hoping to see her face amongst theirs. However, he did not see her, and he did not try to hide his disappointment. Just as Jake was giving him a consoling pat on the back, Aidan suddenly remembered that she might be at the place that he'd saw her the last time. His face lit up again as he hurriedly bid Jake goodbye and rushed out of the cafeteria. He ran towards the back of the school where the big oak tree was, where Danielle was, afraid that she might have already left school by the time he arrived. Fortunately for him, as he rounded the corner, he could hear laughter coming from that place. He quickened his steps and boldly ran towards the sound. He was stopped dead in his tracks however, when he saw the scene that lay out in front of him. She was twirling around, with her arms open wide, her face turned up towards the sky, and she was laughing- laughter than seemed like bells ringing in a cathedral, light and pleasing to the ear. He stood there, rooted to the ground, dumbfounded by the sight before him.

Danielle was having the time of her life just spinning around just like she did in the past when she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone standing nearby watching her. She stopped in a mid twirl and whirled around, hiding her hands behind her back, a blue fireball hovering above her right palms, ready to attack. To her surprise, it was not a dark angel or any potential attackers. It was Aidan. She rolled her fingers into a fist, extinguishing the fireball in her palm just as she took a few steps forward. He didn't seem to notice that she'd moved at all, for he merely stood there, with his gaze fixed upon her. Danielle grinned. So, he was spying on her.

It took Aidan a few minutes to realize that she was no longer spinning around but standing right at that spot, staring at him with a knowing grin on her face. Aidan felt his face heat up, being caught red-handed spying on her. Shyly, he flashed her an apologetic smile and walked towards her. Thankfully, she remained there, with a smile on her face, instead of backing away.

"Spying on me now, are you?" Danielle asked when he was within earshot.

"No, I wasn't spying," Aidan answered. He was standing in front of her now, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. "I was..looking for you. I saw you here that day, so when I couldn't find you at the cafeteria, I thought you might be here."

"Ah," Danielle echoed in understanding. She nodded her head. At least he was being honest. "And how did you happen to see me here that day?"

"Well," Aidan started sheepishly. "I was sort of looking for you that day we bumped into each other. I kind of stumbled upon this path and just found you. Doing what you did today."

"Fair enough," Danielle said once more. "Well, now that you've found me, would you tell me what you want with me?"

"To be totally honest, I don't really know either," Aidan confessed. "I just wanted to see you, I guess."

Danielle laughed. She didn't know why she did that, but his shyness and honesty seemed to grow on her. The feeling he gave her felt so familiar, sending a warmth feeling coursing through her veins. She felt comfortable being around him too, a feeling that was even rarer, for she often felt defensive and threatened being around unfamiliar males. She looked at him, his eyes staring back her in earnest, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Well, would you like to go for lunch together then?" Danielle asked. She saw the shock and surprise flickered in his eyes at her question, only to be replaced with relief, and she suspected that he'd wanted to ask her just that, only he did not know how to.

"This is a highly uncommon proposal since it should come from me," Aidan said, grinning at her. He should have been the one to ask her that that much he admitted to himself. "But since you asked it first, yes, I would like to."

Danielle giggled and flash him a smile. "Alright Mr. Macho. Just let me get my things first."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Eleven**

Lucien was watching the events that took place on earth through the orb that he'd conjured up. He clenched his fists, the orb extinguishing instantly. They've met, but from what he'd seen, the girl hadn't been able to detect his aura. Though she displayed hostility, Lucien could tell that she was beginning to find him a little intriguing, while he on the other hand, found her interesting. No doubt he'd done a good job in concealing his aura, but if he didn't try to get him to cooperate with him soon, his efforts would render useless.

Turning, he changed into a black shirt with long sleeves to hide the tattoos he sported along his arms and a pair of causal jeans. With a flick of his wrists, he suited his minions with in black suits and transported them all onto earth. He was carefully to appear in a dark and abandoned alley, so no one would see him conjuring up a black Mercedes. He got into the car with his minions and seconds later, the car drove off, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

The car pulled to a stop minutes later, in front of a daycare. Lucien took a look at his watch and got out of the car. He slid his shades off his eyes and leaned against the car and waited. Seconds later, he heard the distinct sound of an engine belonging to a motorbike. A huge smile spread across his face just as the driver swerved and parked just behind his car. He started towards the man as he killed the engine and took his helmet off.

"Hello. My name is Lucien," Lucien said, extending his hand towards the man. He watched as he lifted his head slowly, his eyes clouded with suspicion and annoyance.

He ignored Lucien as he got off his bike and placed his helmet on his seat. He started to walk past Lucien when he said, "You're Noah Westland aren't you."

It was a statement, not a question, and it had succeeded in attracting Noah's attention. Slowly, he turned around to face Lucien, his eyes narrowing.

"Who are you?" Noah asked gruffly.

"I just told you, my name is Lucien," Lucien replied, a smile on his face despite the hostile look Noah was giving him.

"I heard you the first time. Who the hell are you?"

Noah thought the man was mad. From the way the man was dressed, Noah thought he was some sort of insurance agent when he approached him. He decided to ignore him and walked right past him when he'd mentioned his name. His interest peaked, as like his suspicion, he turned around and had demanded for his name.

"It doesn't matter. What matters, though, is the proposition that I'm about to present to you," Lucien said, clasping his hands in front of him. "You have two choices, Noah. Either to work with me, or against me."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked, his brows furrowing together in confusion and annoyance.

"To tell you the truth, you're in danger, Noah. Work with me and I'll give you everything," Lucien offered. "I'll get you out of this slump, you'll never have to work odd jobs anymore. I'll get you a high paying proper job, and your sister, you'll be able to provide for her with ease."

"Look, pal. I have no idea who you are or what the hell you're trying to sell me," Noah growled, his eyes narrowing in anger. "But don't you dare touch my sister."

Noah walked away, leaving that man behind.

"Not even if it might save your sister's life?"

Noah stopped in his tracks. His skin crawled at the thought that anything could happen to Natalie. He'd been shocked that this man even knew about Natalie, but he'd learnt to conceal his emotions well.

Seizing the opportunity, Lucien walked towards Noah. He had two choices in his hands, one was to go on avoiding the issue at hand and the other was to out rightly tell this man what he was proposing. Seeing how the first choice was going to yield nothing, Lucien decided to lay it all out.

"Look, Noah. What I'm about to tell you is absolutely true," Lucien began, slowly measuring his words. If he managed to win Noah over to his side, he'd already won half the battle. "I'm not what you think I am. I'm a-an angel, of sorts." Seeing the look of disbelief cross Noah's face, Lucien quickly added. "I know you think I'm crazy, but I'm not. You and your sister are about to be in grave danger if you don't work with me. Someone else who will be trying to hurt your sister will be coming for the both of you. And when the time comes, it'll be too later for me to even save you two."

Lucien was inwardly pleased with himself. He sounded so close to begging this mortal man. He'd even sound sincerely in his faked proposal! Now, as he watched the glimmer of thoughts passing through Noah's head right this instant, he was almost certain he'd succeeded in his plan. "Otherwise, how else would I know about you and your sister?"

Truth be told, Noah was more incredulous than afraid of what the man was telling him. Did that guy honestly think his lie sounded real? Though he was certain that what the man said was a whole lot of crap, he did worry about the fact that he knew about him and Natalie. The people who worked with him didn't even know about her, save for a handful who were closer to him. He took a step closer to the man, his eyes boring into the man's, and said,

"Look you psycho. What you said just would only convince the people at the mental institute. I'm warning you, don't you even dare touch my sister in any way, because if you do, I swear to God, you'll pay."

Satisfied that he had gotten what he wanted across out to the man, he walked hurriedly through the entrance of the daycare and never looked back.

Lucien watched as Noah disappeared through the entrance, his insides churning with anger. How dare he threaten to harm him when Lucien would do damage to him far worse than he could to him! And how dare he refuse his offer! Lucien slipped his shades on, immediately switching to plan B. Since he couldn't get Noah Westland to join him, he'll simply have to convince her then. He turned around, and with a flick of his wrists, brought his followers to his side. Carefully surveying the streets, he snapped his fingers, transporting the lot of them back to hell.

Danielle returned home late that night, with memories of the lunch date with Aidan still fresh in her head as she moved through the house in darkness, towards her room. They'd gone to the mall and decided on eating at Mac's Old Farmhouse. They'd sat there for hours and hours chatting about themselves, well, mostly about Aidan, since there was limited things she could tell him about herself. She'd never felt this happy in a long time, Danielle thought, completely unaware of the other presence in the house, besides hers. She dropped her bag onto the floor, by her study desk, and reached for the light switch. Light flooded the room, instantly revealing the two figures in her room, one sitting on the edge of her bed and the other standing by the window, both looking straight at her.

"By God!" Danielle gasped, taking a few steps back, her hands flying to her chest instinctively. "You two could have made your presence known before delivering the shock of my life to me!"

"You should have picked our presence up the moment you stepped into the house," Daniel answered, his tone flat. "There was no need for us to inform you beforehand."

Refusing to comment on his statement, Danielle straightened herself and started towards her wardrobe. She knew Daniel was right. She should have sensed their presence the instant she was in the house, but she didn't, because she was thinking about Aidan. And she very well couldn't tell them that. God only knows what lecture it would yield from Daniel. She stepped into the bathroom, ignoring the fact that she had guests in her room, waiting to speak to her. She turned the shower on, using the water and the time to clear her head and focus her thoughts before facing the both of them. Minutes later, she emerged from her bathroom, her hair dripping wet, dressed in a simple spaghetti top and gray drawstring pants. She'd left the door open, allowing the steam to evaporate into the air behind her.

"So, what brings you here?" Danielle asked, leaning against her dresser whilst she toweled dry her hair.

"To tell you of your charge," Daniel answered, once again, matter-of-factly.

"A man of few words, aren't you Daniel," Danielle said. She turned her attention to Kaitlyn instead. She'd always been the one who was more willing to communicate with her. "Care to elaborate?"

"Her name is Natalie Westland and she's only five years old," Kaitlyn explained. It wasn't the first time Danielle's gotten a charge, but it had been a long time since her last charge.

"A preschool kid?" Danielle echoed. She had never had such a young charge throughout her years as a half-angel. "What's wrong with her?"

"Apparently she lives with her brother in a dingy apartment just down Avenue Street and her father, as we know, is a drunk and a drug addict. He left them both five years ago and never came back until a few hours ago."

Danielle frowned. She could see why little Natalie Westland needed her protection. "He came back? What for?"

"Got kicked out by his mistress, ran out of money and booze, who knows," Daniel replied, shrugging. "There are a million of reasons for all we know."

Danielle studied Daniel's face carefully. As much as he was trying to not show that he care, she could see that he was very much affected by the grim situation Natalie Westland was in and faced.

"All we know is that he has abusive tendencies and that the little girl needs a protector."

"You mentioned she had a brother," Danielle voiced, remembering every little detail that Kaitlyn mentioned earlier on. "Doesn't he protect her?"

"He does, I would suppose," Kaitlyn shrugged. "They didn't really talk about that. We only know that there was a disturbance at their household noted a few hours earlier. And as Zora told us, while the father was gone, there weren't any disturbances reported."

"This isn't the first time this girl has become one of your many missions, isn't it," Danielle stated. Thinking of the fear and pain that the little girl had to go through while her father was home made her sick in the stomach. And now he was back in her life, once again without doubt, striking fear in her life. "I will pay the little girl a visit tomorrow and see if she's okay and try to fish out some information from her."

"The address of her house and the preschool she attends are on your dresser," Daniel said, moving to stand next to Kaitlyn.

Danielle reached behind her and picked the piece of paper in her hand, just as Kaitlyn bade her goodnight. She looked on as Kaitlyn and Daniel slowly faded into a white blinding light before finally vanishing completely into thin air. She turned her attention back to the piece of paper, mentally internalizing the two addresses.

"Natalie Westland," Danielle murmured, as she closed her eyes, trying to picture the little girl who needed her protection. She'd known pain, right before she died. She was no more than sixteen when she felt the pain an axe could inflict upon its victim. Though she was sure that the pain the little girl had to endure was no where near what she felt, a girl Natalie Westland's age should be spared of any sort of pain. Danielle opened her eyes, silently making a promise that she'll protect little Natalie no matter what happens.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Twelve**

Natalie held little Susie close to her cheek, her eyes shut tight. She could hear her own ragged breathing and the occasional sob that would escape from her lips despite trying her best not to make a single sound. She didn't know what was happening; all she remembered was seeing her father in the living room. The next moment, Noah instructed her to go to her room and lock the door and that if she heard any loud noises she would hide inside her closet and wait for the loud noises to stop. Almost instantly, she heard the both of them shouting at each other. She dropped her bag on the floor of her bedroom, grabbed little Susie and raced into the closet, locking herself in while she cried. The loud noises were over now, and Natalie wanted nothing more than to crawl out of the closet and into Noah's arms.

Taking in a deep breath, Natalie unlocked the door as silently as she could and gently pushed the door open. She took a peek, checking to see if it was okay for her to come out. Seeing that nothing was out of place in her room, she told little Susie 'be brave', tightened her hold on the doll before she emerged from the closet. She walked gingerly towards the door, now clutching little Susie to her chest, just like how Noah would hold her to his chest. Her little eyes widened in shock when she saw the mess her living room was in. The tables and chairs were all overturned, their television screen broken with their lamp hanging out from it. One of their curtains were torn all the way down from the middle and Natalie could see that there were spots of blood on the shards of glass lying on the floor.

She spotted Noah leaning against the doorway, his head bowed. Worried for his safety even though she was scared out of her wits, Natalie took a step out of her room, calling his name.

Noah turned around the instant he heard her calling his name. He'd almost forgotten about Natalie in his relief that he'd managed to overpower his father and throw him out of the house. He had a cut above his brow, one across his left cheekbone and another on his lower lip. He'd forgotten that he was still bleeding and that his shirt was covered in his father's blood, that he started towards Natalie. He stopped when he noticed that she was staring at his shirt, his cuts and crying.

"Ah, hell," Noah murmured. He knelt down and opened his hands. "Come here Darling dear, I'm not going to hurt you and neither is he."

Almost instantly, Natalie ran towards him, right into his arms. He swallowed a groan as she barreled straight into his chest, bawling her eyes out, right when his father had punched him repeatedly. He closed his arms around her, stroking her hair, telling her repeatedly that it was okay now that everything was over. Suddenly, Natalie pushed away from him and looked at his face, her little hands reaching up towards the cut above his eyebrow. He caught her even before she could touch the wound.

"Don't, honey, you're going to infect my wound and kill me," Noah said, forcing a grin to lighten the atmosphere. But it worked against him. Instead of making Natalie laugh, she burst out in tears.

"No! Don't die Noah! I won't touch, I won't kill you. Don't die, Noah!" Natalie bawled, burying her face in the crook of his neck this time, repeating herself over and over again.

Noah's arms closed around her little body, slightly aware that she was shaking in fear. "Hush, honey, hush. I'm not going to die and I won't leave you. I was just joking about dying."

"Prwomise me, Noah. Prwomise me you won't die and leave me!" Natalie demanded as she lifted her face to look at her brother.

"I promise," Noah said, kissing her on her forehead. He couldn't help but chuckle when she lifted little Susie from between them for him to kiss her forehead as well.

It'd taken him a while more to calm Natalie down, enough for him to carry her to her room, where there was no broken glass she could cut herself from. He set her down on her bed and left her to take her bath while he went out to clean the mess up. He swept the debris left of his struggle with his father and discarded them in the bin outside. He set the tables and chairs up right again, before he went into his room to clean himself. He was out of his blood stained clothes even before he was in the shower. He turned the water on full blast and turned his face to the water, forgetting about the cuts on his face. He winced from the pain, but continued anyway, needing the water to wash away the fear that he felt when he saw his father sitting in the living room, waiting for them to return. He knew he could very well have lost to his father and Natalie would be in trouble. He'd thought that meeting that man at Natalie's preschool was enough to make his day bad, but seeing his father at home just made things even worse.

He stepped out of the shower and dried himself, pulling on a black drawstring pants. He turned the lights in the bathroom off and was in the midst of drying his hair when he heard padded footsteps heading towards his room. He looked up to see Natalie dressed in her favourite nightclothes, clutching little Susie to her chest, with a thumb in her mouth. He draped the towel on the chair by the window and walked towards her. He knelt down in front of her, pretending to sniff her.

"Someone's smelling good," he said. "Did Susie get a bath as well?"

Natalie nodded and returned his favour, pretending to sniff him as well. "You smell good too Noah."

"Thank you," Noah replied. He picked her up in his arms, intending to carry her back to her room. "Now, which story would you like to hear tonight?"

"Noah, can little Susie and I sleep with you tonight?" Natalie asked, looking unsurely at her brother.

Noah looked at his sister. He could still see the look of fear lingering in her eyes. Damn his father for the fright he gave Natalie! Smiling down at her, he ruffled her hair. "Of course you can. We'll all sleep together tonight, won't we little Susie?"

He carried Natalie back to his room and with one hand, he threw back the covers and gently laid her down on his bed. Immediately, she turned to her side and curled into a ball, still holding her doll close to her. Noah closed the door and turned the lights off before slipping into bed next to Natalie. Almost instantly, Natalie scooted closer into Noah's embrace. He pulled the covers over the both of them, and held her tight, humming a song that his mother used to sing to him when he couldn't sleep. Minutes later, he felt Natalie's tensed body relax and her breathing steady. Only then did he allow himself to relax and closed his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Thirteen 

That was how Cole found her, lying on the floor of the forest, with tears streaking down her face, whimpering. He'd gotten off work slightly earlier to check on Danielle for Ian, who was due to close the shop today. Danielle had gone into the forest to the borders to look for flowers for her mama and had not returned the hour. Worried for her safety, Cole headed to the forest in hurried steps. When he heard Danielle's anguished cry, he ran, following the direction of her voice until he found her.

He scooped her up in his arms, willing her to open her eyes while he searched her body for any signs of injury that might have caused her to cry out in anguish. But he found none. Desperate to find out what happened to her, Cole shook Danielle until she opened her eyes.

"Danielle! It's me, Cole!" he shouted, relieved that she'd opened her eyes at last. But he was worried to see the bewildered look in her eyes, as if something horrible had happened to her. "What happened, Danielle?"

"Oh, Cole!" Danielle said, launching herself into his chest and sobbing her eyes out. She was in no shape to tell Cole what she'd just seen or experienced. She didn't even know how she was going to tell him about the two people who started it all! "It was horrible, horrible."

"What was, honey," Cole cooed, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down. "What was horrible honey?"

"The man…with the axe….he killed you…right before my eyes…and he..he..tried to kill me as well," Danielle stuttered, clutching on to Cole's shirt.

"What man?" Cole asked, looking around to make sure that there wasn't any man waiting to kill the both of them. "What did he look like?"

"He wasn't a man….at least he didn't look like one," Danielle explained. She had lifted her head and was looking at him now. "He had horns, just like the devil's. And he was carrying this axe that I've never seen before. He was charging towards us, and you came in between, shielding me." Danielle's hand touched the middle of his chest, her gaze shifted momentarily before she looked at him again. "He cut you here, and you were bleeding so badly. And then you died. And he tried to kill me too."

Cole looked at her, listening to her relaying what had happened to her. He couldn't understand a word she was saying now. How could he be dead? Unless she was foretelling the future, she wasn't making any sense. However, Cole knew better than to tell her that she wasn't making any sense. She was hysterical as such and to tell her that would just make things worse.

He spent that night at Danielle's house. He'd carried her home from the forest and she'd fallen asleep in his arms. Her mama had almost fainted when she saw Danielle limp in his arms, assuming that she was hurt badly. After his assurance, she calmed down and helped him put Danielle to bed. He'd told her everything, right down to what Danielle had told him. He took Cynthia that he'd chalk it up to hallucination until they could figure out what really happened to Danielle in the forest.

He was lying on the bed in the spare room, unable to sleep even though he was exhausted. He kept thinking back to the way Danielle looked when he found her lying on the forest floor. He was so afraid that he would lose her. Even now, he wasn't sure if she was safe or if something bad had befallen on her again. Cole got out of bed, and dressed, before he made his way towards her room. The door was slightly open when he got there. He pushed it open, expecting to see Danielle lying safely in her bed. Instead, he saw the covers were thrown aside and Danielle was not in bed. Though he heart beat quickened, his instinct told him to look outside. He opened the door and was relieved to find her sitting on the steps with her lantern beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Cole asked, as he sat down next to her. She was sitting with her arms round her legs and her chin resting on her knees.

"Do you think I'm mad, Cole?" she asked instead, her voice barely a whisper loud.

"No, Dani," Cole said, calling her by her childhood nickname. "I just want to know what happened to you back there. I care for you, Dani, I do."

Danielle turned and faced Cole. "I know you do. I care for you too." She turned away, staring ahead into the dark. They sat there in silence for a moment, before Danielle spoke.

"There were these two people there. They told me that it was time for me to fulfill my duty. I didn't even hear them approaching me. They said they were going to restore my powers, my aura and my memories to me, memories of you dying and me facing death."

"I don't get what you're trying to say," Cole voiced. "Danielle?"

Danielle turned and faced him, looking at him in the eyes. "They told me I was a half-angel, Cole."

School today was just like any day. She had more than two classes with that rude delivery guy turned stand in teacher and she was glad that he did not intentionally try to single her out just like he did the day before. Surprisingly, he was rather serious and solemn today. He had cuts on his face as well as a busted lip that was still swollen and Danielle found herself wondering if he was all right. She'd mentally berated herself, chalking her concern up to mere curiosity on her part. She'd left right after the bell rang and made her way towards the entrance of the school, her mind focused on getting to the preschool, where little Natalie Westland was. She was just about to leave the school compound when Aidan called out to her.

"Danielle! Wait up!"

Danielle turned around to see Aidan jogging towards her. Her lips curved into a smile and she found herself walking towards him, meeting him halfway.

"Hey."

"Hey," Aidan said, catching his breath. "Where are you heading today? Want to head out for lunch?"

Danielle was about to agree when she remembered about Natalie Westland. "Can't. I have something on in the afternoon. In fact I was about to head over there when you stopped me."

"Oh."

Danielle thought Aidan looked crestfallen. So did she. She really wanted to spend time with him, especially since she had a great time with him yesterday. Darn! This was one of the days she was cursing her duty as a half angel. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"But we could have dinner later instead?" Danielle bit her lower lip while she waited for Aidan's reply. She doesn't remember ever feeling like she wanted to go out with anyone in decades!

"Sure!" Aidan replied enthusiastically, spurred on by the excitement of being able to see her later. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

Danielle giggled. Strange, but she never giggled, not much anyway. "Alright. Dinner it is. I'll meet you at the mall?"

"At seven. Is that alright with you?"

"Seven it is," Danielle replied. She took a look at her watch. She was running late. She called the preschool earlier to inform them of her visit. "Look, I really have to run now. I'll see you tonight then."

I'll be looking forward to seeing you," Aidan said, flashing her a rare smile of his.

Danielle smiled in return at his words. She would be looking forward to seeing him too, but instead of voicing her thoughts out, she gave him a quick nod of her head and hurried off towards the preschool.

"Mr Westland, that lip of yours look really bad," Mr Conrad commented. He leaned against the coffee counter right next to Noah. "What happened?"

"I slipped and fell. Hit myself on the edge of the table and busted my lip," Noah answered non-commitedly.

Though he had only been here for two days, he'd learnt the office politics of the staff room. Teachers here were always ready for a piece of gossip, regardless whether it's about a teacher or a student. He'd also learnt that they would stop at absolutely nothing to ensure or to fight for a promotion or a pay rise. And a suspicious looking swollen lip of a stand-in teacher would raise the principal's concerns and Noah would risk losing his job. And as bad as he didn't want to admit it, he needed this job as long as he could hold on to it, because they paid him good and he needed the cash for Natalie.

"Really? Sure looks like you were in a brawl last night," Mr. Conrad said over the tip of his coffee cup, taking a sip after his comment.

Noah turned around, with his own coffee cup in his hand. He had his dark glasses on still, hiding the gash above his eyebrow. A swollen lip and a cut across his cheek raised enough suspicions and concerns; there was no need to report another gash above his eyebrow. "How would you know, Mr. Conrad, unless you've been in one before and had gotten a swollen lip afterwards?"

Mr. Conrad opened his mouth, as if to throw out a retort. But he shut his mouth when Noah raised his eyebrow in challenge. Realizing that he could not beat him, Mr. Conrad turned beet-red and walked away from the coffee counter back to his table, indignance obvious in his strides. Noah proceeded to sip his coffee. When the dark liquid came into contact with the gash on his lip, it stung. But Noah showed no signs of a wince. He was accustomed to pain ever since he could remember. It was a part of him that he'd never told anyone, or let anyone know. Noah remembered, as he took another sip of his coffee, he'd vowed when his mother was pregnant with Natalie, that he would never let her get accustomed to pain like him. He'd kept his promise so far, but now that his father was back again…The sound of the bell jarred him from his thoughts, reminding him that he had a class to attend to.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Fourteen**

As Danielle entered the building, she could hear the loud laughter coming from the rooms behind the receptionist counter. It sounded like bells in the air, like the ones she used to hear on Christmas mornings, the ones her mama would hang on the knobs on their veranda. Her mind was conjuring up the image of her mother just as she rang the bell for the receptionist. It has been centuries since she'd last seen her mother. She remembered how she would bring home flowers from the borders of the woods for her mama, how her mama would always chide her for doing so while a hint of smile was in her eyes.

Her thoughts wandered further into the past while waiting for someone to appear behind the counter, reliving the happiest moments of her life before the day she went into the woods alone. Before her thoughts could wander to the moment where her entire existence was thrown off balance, the sound of footsteps approaching brought her back to the present.

"May I help you, Miss?"

"I'm Danielle Fields. I called this morning?" Danielle replied with a polite smile on her face.

"Oh yes, Miss Fields," the lady answered as her face lit up with recognition. She hastily wiped her hands on her apron as she shuffled behind the counter and began looking through the drawers. "We've got such a handful of them to handle everyday. It's really nice of you to volunteer your help. How did you find out about us?"

"Through the school. We were having some sort of programme and they mentioned your organization," Danielle lied as she took the plastic nametag that read 'VISTOR' and wore it over her head. Informing the lady that she got to know of this place through two angels was hardly an answer for a mere mortal.

"Really? That's really nice of you," she cooed. "We don't get this anymore, you know. Most youngsters would rather spend their time on something more useful and meaningful."

She stopped in mid sentence, coming around the counter to stand in front of Danielle, extending her hand. "Oh, by the way, I'm Stella Newman."

Danielle shook her hand politely, giving her a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Well, the kids are basically situated in the sleeping area, which also doubles up as their playing pen," Stella began, gesturing to the room on Danielle's right. She moved, motioning for Danielle to follow her. " in the kitchen, which is situated at the back of the building."

Stella took Danielle around the school, familiarizing her with the different rooms. She brought Danielle to the small room which served as the teacher's lounge area, just on the left of the receptionist counter, where the she introduced Danielle to Brenda Wallace and Sarah Shaw, the two other teachers. She then proceeded to introduce Danielle to the children after she'd informed Danielle of the various rules regarding the school and the release of children after school.

The kids sat in a circle in front of them, peering curiously at Danielle, cocking their head sideways at her. Danielle did a quick surveillance of the kids while Stella introduced her, scanning the sea of faces before her for any injury or any indication of Natalie Westland. Despite her thoughts, she heard Stella mention her name, and remembered to smile, earning a few grins from the children before her.

Stella had left Danielle and the other teacher, Brenda in charge of looking after the kids. Danielle chose a kid named Clara and sat next to her, watching her color her piece of painting. A few moments later, Clara had discarded her painting and went in search for a puzzle instead. Danielle was helping her to figure out the pieces when she heard her charge's name.

"Natalie! Natalie!" one of the kids yelled from the other end of the room.

Danielle's head swirled around to the direction of the child's voice. Promptly, a little girl with sandy brown hair, loosely tied up in a ponytail stand up. She watched as the little girl ran towards the other end of the room, to the voice that beckoned her. Returning her attention to Clara, she posed a question to the little girl.

"Clara, is that Natalie Westland?" Danielle asked, handing her a piece of the puzzle.

"Yup. She's the only Natalie around here," Clara replied, unaware of Danielle's sudden knowledge of Natalie's last name. Her attention temporarily drawn away from the puzzle, she looked up at Danielle, pointing her finger in the direction of Natalie. "She's five, you know, a year younger than me."

Danielle beamed down at the child, her heart warming up with the sound of pride and innocence in Clara's voice. She gave the little girl's head a gentle pat. "Yes you are, and what a smart and pretty six year old you are! I remember when I was six years old, I was never good at piecing puzzles together, but you are," Danielle said, watching as Clara vigorously nod her head. "Why don't we finish up the puzzle so you can show Stella and the rest of them?"

Lunchtime came and the children were ushered into the kitchen where they took their lunch along with the teachers. Danielle had chose to sit among the kids instead of with the teachers, hoping to bond with the kids. It had been so long since she'd come into contact with kids. Their innocence amazed her and the sound of their carefree laughter made her envious. Those were the things she could and would never have. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her charge moving away from the table. She watched as Natalie placed her plate into the sink like she'd been taught and went back into the main room. She excused herself from the table and followed.

She stood at the doorway, watching the little five-year-old take a piece of drawing paper and a box of crayons and sat at her table. She cleared her voice, announcing her presence to the child as she approached her.

Natalie's head shot up, a beige crayon in her hands. It was Danielle, the new teacher. She was walking towards Natalie with a gentle smile on her face. 'A smile like Noah,' Natalie thought. She gave her a smile and returned her attention to the piece of paper in front of her. She began to draw a big circle in the middle of the paper.

"Hey."

"Hey," Natalie answered without looking up. She changed crayons and continued to draw two small circles in the big circle.

"My name is Danielle, and I heard yours is Natalie."

"Uh-huh," Natalie murmured.

"That's a very nice name. Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know," Natalie shrugged, turning to face the teacher who was kneeling beside her. "I was called Natalie ever since I could rwemember. I'm called Darling-dear too, sometimes."

"Darling-dear? That's nice too," Danielle cooed, trying to engage in a conversation with her. "Who calls you that?"

"My brwother."

She stopped at that, concentrating on drawing the picture instead. Danielle watched as she drew in a nose and a mouth, completing the face. She was just about to praise her on the photo when Natalie picked up a blue crayon and proceeded to draw little circles spaced apart, under the eyes. Danielle continued observing her, until she'd finished the picture, using a brown crayon to draw in the hair for the face. A sudden realization hit her then.

"Natalie, who's that in the picture?" Danielle asked carefully.

"Me," Natalie answered freely. She started drawing squares at the side of the face at odd angles.

"Why were you crying?" Danielle prodded.

Natalie shrugged. "My brwother and father was fighting yesternight."

Danielle felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She kept quiet, watching her colour the squares as she thought of a way to make her open up and tell her what happened.

"You know, when I was you age, my daddy and brother used to fight too," Danielle lied, hoping to make a connection the situation she'd been through.

Natalie stopped colouring, turned and looked at her. "They did?"

"Uh-huh," Danielle nodded, glad that she was successful in making the connection. "They used to fight all the time, in the morning and at night. I could never get any quiet."

"It was only last night that my daddy came back and fought with my brother," Natalie revealed, unaware that Danielle was trying to pry information from her.

"Well my daddy and brother used to fight all the time. And I would always get involved in the fight and get hurt," Danielle continued, watching the little girl's face carefully. "Did you get hurt when your daddy and brother fought?"

Natalie shook her head vigorously. "I hid in my cupboard with little Susie. My brwother got hurt. He had a cut here, here and here."

Danielle watched as she pointed at her brow, her left cheek and her lip. Something was familiar about the injuries her brother sustained. It nagged at the edge of her mind but she just couldn't recall what was familiar about the injuries. She focused on what Natalie was saying instead.

"Besides, my brwother would never let me get hurt," Natalie said, her face filled with pride and love for her brother. "Didn't your brwother prwotect you from hurt too?"

Danielle smiled gently, a hint of bitterness in her smile. Her thoughts drifted back to a time when she had a brother to watch over her. "He did. But sometimes he wasn't there to protect me."


End file.
